By GREGORY ZELLER //
Advanced research, scientific innovation and accelerated student success collide in Long Island University’s new College of Science building – coming soon to LIU’s Brookville campus.
The university broke ground July 10 on its $30 million, 40,000-square-foot facility, a cutting-edge mecca of research and hands-on laboratory work that will service LIU’s life sciences, natural sciences, computer science and artificial intelligence programs.
Expected to be ready to rock sometime in 2027, the facility is slated to include new research laboratories and incubators, an innovation hub filled with collaborative workspaces, a state-of-the-art fabrication laboratory and modern classrooms built specifically to encourage interdisciplinary learning.
In short: everything LIU’s College of Science needs to bolt to the forefront of the red-hot digital engineering, biomedical engineering and AI fields, according to Long Island University President Kimberly Cline.
“As we celebrate our centennial, we are not only honoring a century of excellence but are actively building a university that will lead the next century of innovation,” Cline noted. “This facility will accelerate our mission to grow a nationally recognized research enterprise that will play a significant role in developing the next generation of future-focused scientists.”
Hope Knight: Ecosystem acceleration.
New York State funding plays an important role in the rise of the new research and innovation facility, including a $10 million stipend from the Long Island Investment Fund, the Island-focused wing the Empire State Development Corp., Albany’s main economic-development engine.
Empire State Development Board Chairman Kevin Law, who attended the July 10 groundbreaking, trumpeted Gov. Kathy Hochul’s “unwavering commitment to Long Island” and called the new building “a powerful example of that vision in action – supporting cutting-edge science, fueling biotech growth and creating good jobs right here on Long Island.”
Those sentiments were seconded by Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight, who said the Long Island Investment Fund’s $10 million commitment “reflects New York State’s strategic focus on building a world-class life sciences ecosystem on Long Island.”
“This investment is catalyzing economic development by supporting groundbreaking research, nurturing biotech startups and creating a pipeline of high-quality jobs that will strengthen the region’s role as a national leader in scientific innovation,” Knight said in a statement.
The two-year construction phase is expected to create roughly 750 temporary jobs, with 50 new full-time research and academic positions slated to follow. It will also herald the nation’s first Bachelor of Engineering in Digital Engineering program and provide a home base for the Dassault Systèmes Center of Excellence, a partnership with the French multinational software ace that positions LIU at the national forefront of several critical 21st Century industries.
Ground level: State representatives and Long Island University faculty dig in at LIU’s July 10 groundbreaking ceremony.
FourLeaf Federal Credit Union President and CEO Linda Armyn, co-chairwoman of the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council, applauded the “productive partnership” between Albany and the LIREDC – “we’re leveraging state resources to … anchor Long Island as a national hub for life sciences and economic opportunity,” Armyn noted – while LIU Board of Trustees Chairman Eric Krasnoff said the July 10 groundbreaking “represents more than a new building.”
“It marks a major milestone in Long Island University’s commitment to scientific research, technological innovation and student opportunity,” Krasnoff added.
